AFP chief urges men to come out, testify on alleged elections fraud
MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Eduardo Oban on Tuesday urged concerned members of the military to come out and testify if they know anything regarding the alleged poll fraud during the 2004 and 2007 elections.
In an interview after the launch of Bantay Bayanihan project of the Ateneo de Manila University and various socio-civic organizations, Oban said that there may be more military officials who will be implicated in the poll fraud issue but urged them to tell the truth.
“Ang sinasabi ko lang lagi na kung meron mang nai-implicate dito, para lang malinis yung impression, malinis ang pangalan ay sabihin na ang katotohanan (If there should be anyone implicated here, he should tell the truth so that he can come out clean),” Oban told reporters.
“Maganda malaman natin kung ano talaga yung pangyayari, kung totoo o hindi. Dapat lang talaga malinis, malinawan kung talagang nangyari (It’s good for us to know what really happened and if [the alleged fraud[ is true or not. We should clear up the issue),” the military chief furthered.
He added that they should not be afraid to come out with the truth.
“Para sa ating lahat din naman ito (It’s for the good of us all),” he said.
The statement came after Colonel Pedro Sumayo, former head of the Military Intelligence Group 21, at the Senate hearing on the alleged 2004 and 2004 electoral sabotage on Tuesday tagged a former military official, Colonel Allen Capuyan, former head of the military’s Operations Intelligence Division, of ordering the wiretapping of former elections chairman Virgilio Garcillano’s supposed conversation with former and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, Sumayo said he did not have proof that it was his former boss that gave the order.
Nevertheless, Sumayo said that it was Capuyan who had ordered that the audio recording that became famous as the “Hello Garci” tapes be destroyed.
He also admitted to being offered P900,000 by his former boss weeks before he appeared in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Oban confirmed that Sumayo was formerly assigned to the general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo but said that the colonel is currently awaiting recommendation for another position.
